Easy-peasy potjies and roasts
Lamb potjie with green vegetables
Serves 6 | Preparation time 20 minutes | Cooking time 2 hours 30 minutes
You need
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1,5 kg lamb shank or neck slices
• 1 big onion, in wedges
• about 12 baby carrots
• ¼ glass white wine
• salt and pepper, to taste
• meat spice
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• few sprigs of thyme
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 200 g green beans, halved
• grated zest of 1 lemon
Here’s how
1 Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and fry the meat until brown. Remove the meat, retain the fat in the pot, and sauté the onion and carrots until glossy. Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot.
2 Return the meat to the pot and season with salt, pepper and your favourite meat spices. Add the garlic, herbs and flour, followed by the stock. Cover the pot with the lid and simmer over the coals for about 2 hours – put a few coals on top of the lid. (If you’re cooking indoors, simmer in a preheated oven at 160° C.)
3 Remove the lid, add the peas and beans and cook to reduce the liquid until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has reached your preferred thickness. Add lemon zest to taste and serve with your favourite starch. For a fresh taste, scatter mint leaves on top.
Pork and beans potjie
Serves 6 | Preparation time 20 minutes, plus overnight | Cooking time 3 hours
You need
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 kg pork shank slices, skin removed and set aside
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 g dried sugar beans, soaked in water overnight and drained
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 capsules Knorr stock concentrate
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tin (410 g) tomato purée
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• salt, to taste
Here’s how
1 Heat the oil in a big pot and fry the meat in batches until browned all over. Remove the meat and fry the onion, carrots and celery in the same pot until glossy. Return the meat to the pot and add the peppercorns and bay leaves. Add the beans, cover with water and simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
2 When the beans and meat are cooked, add the garlic, chilli, paprika, stock, sugar and tomato purée. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the sauce thickens. Add lemon juice and zest, and salt to taste.
3 Fry the pieces of skin in oil until crisp (or braai them over hot coals). Serve the potjie with garlic bread and the crackling.
Thai chicken pot
Makes 4 big portions | Preparation time 30 minutes | Cooking time 90 minutes
You need
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 8 chicken pieces (drumsticks and thighs)
• 1 piece of lemongrass, bruised
• 3 cm fresh ginger, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1 tin (410 ml) coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 small yellow pepper, in strips
• 12 baby corns
• 200 g button mushrooms, chopped
• 200 g mangetout
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ cup fresh or desiccated coconut
• ½ cup fresh coriander, chopped
• steamed long-grain rice and soya sauce, to serve
Here’s how
1 Heat the oil in a pot and fry the chicken until golden brown all over. Don’t rush this – the longer you fry the chicken, the more flavour it will have after simmering.
2 Add the lemongrass, ginger, garlic and curry paste, and fry for a few minutes. Add the coconut milk and stock, cover the pot with the lid and simmer for an hour.
Add the vegetables, fish sauce, lime juice and zest, and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 20 – 30 minutes or until the vegetables are al dente. Round off the sauce with a sprinkling of coconut and coriander. Season to taste with salt or soya sauce. Serve with enough rice
